Chapter X

Live In The Moment – JOMO In Travel

Of course, we are acquainted with travellers who post their picture-perfect holidays on social media. We have travelled with them virtually many times in the past. We have seen exotic locations, the beautiful pictures as they look at each other with eyes doused in love, learnt about the interesting activities they partook in those holidays – skydiving, trekking, skiing, cooking classes or whatever that may be. Ah! a sip of the ambrosial cocktail or a spoonful of that exotic dish posted – we have imagined it all. We have taken virtual tours of their hotel rooms and luxury resorts and seen umpteen pouts and selfies with a bewitching background. Bitten by the FOMO (Fear of Missing out) bug, we too have based our travel decisions on how fancy it will look to all those who follow us. However, the recent travel trend shows a gradual shift towards JOMO, the kinder sibling of FOMO.

What is JOMO?

Living in the moment, focussing on the present, embracing our surroundings and disconnecting from social activity especially social media is what comes under the umbrella of JOMO. It is embracing the feeling of contentment with one’s own pursuits and activities without the tension of missing out on what others may be up to. Mentally, it seems less of a burden knowing that you can travel and be who you are without the travel anxiety of posting a hundred pictures or judgements being drawn on how you travel or spend your time.

JOMO reminds you it’s not important to ask yourself every 5 minutes what is happening around. It’s about being mindful and focussing on the here and now using all your 5 senses on what we are doing. It’s not important to see through the peephole that social media puts within constant reach to find out what the rest of the world is up to.  It is not important. What instead is vital is that we focus on ourselves and be grateful for what we have. We finally see the satisfaction of who we are and appreciating the present.

JOMO travellers want to escape from the madness of their everyday life. They seek out less crowded cities, prefer to travel off-season, follow their hearts and fulfil their passion while avoiding social media as much as they can. They don’t need to tell the world how they are spending their lives. They are not interested. The spotlight is on the experience that they ventured out for and soaking up the pleasure when they go through it. Their holidays have a more zen-like appeal. They prefer the road less travelled, focus on the present and what is happening in their life rather than wasting precious following others.

JOMO travellers are increasingly becoming important in the tourism world. It saw a growth of 27% between 2019 and 2020. “Don’t listen to what they say, go see.” is an old Chinese proverb. The JOMO traveller believes in it and enjoys the world as he sees it, bringing nature closer and keeping the phone far, far away.